Brazilian volunteers take part in a seeding activity at a site covered by Hyundai Motor's Ioniq Forest project. From 2022 through the first half of this year, Hyundai Motor planted 100,000 trees in Brazil, restoring roughly 40 hectares of forest — an area equivalent to about 56 soccer fields. [Hyundai Motor Group]
Brazilian volunteers take part in a seeding activity at a site covered by Hyundai Motor's Ioniq Forest project. From 2022 through the first half of this year, Hyundai Motor planted 100,000 trees in Brazil, restoring roughly 40 hectares of forest — an area equivalent to about 56 soccer fields. [Hyundai Motor Group]

Hyundai Motor Group is significantly expanding its corporate social responsibility activities in Brazil, deepening its commitment to growing alongside local communities. The push — spanning forest restoration, mobile healthcare and Korean cultural outreach — puts into action the "co-growth with local communities" pledge that Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung made in 2024.

The group announced Thursday it would broaden the reach and scale of programs centered on the Piracicaba area of São Paulo state.

Hyundai Motor Group regards Brazil as a core market in its South American strategy and has steadily expanded its local production base there. Hyundai Motor entered the Brazilian market in 1992 and completed its Piracicaba plant in São Paulo state in 2012. The facility has an annual production capacity of about 180,000 vehicles and currently assembles locally tailored models including the HB20 and Creta. Piracicaba serves as the backbone of Hyundai Motor's Brazilian manufacturing operations.

Chung met Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2024 and announced a $1.1 billion investment plan through 2032, also conveying the group's intention to pursue community-focused social contribution activities. As it moves forward with that investment commitment, Hyundai Motor Group says it will deepen its engagement with Brazilian communities and contribute to strengthening ties between South Korea and Brazil.

A local medical team treats a child inside a dental trailer as part of Hyundai Motor Brazil's mobile dental care project, Sorriso Cidadão. [Hyundai Motor Group]
A local medical team treats a child inside a dental trailer as part of Hyundai Motor Brazil's mobile dental care project, Sorriso Cidadão. [Hyundai Motor Group]

56 soccer fields' worth of forest restored

On the environmental front, Hyundai Motor will continue its ecological restoration project, Ioniq Forest. Named after the company's Ioniq electric vehicle brand, the initiative focuses on planting trees and restoring local ecosystems. Hyundai Motor plans to review ways to expand forest creation and restoration activities in Brazil, taking into account the environment around its facilities and local ecological conditions.

Brazil is one of the world's most biodiverse countries, but deforestation and ecosystem conservation remain pressing social concerns. Hyundai Motor plans to restore Atlantic Forest ecosystems using native species and to manage restored sites so they remain viable long after the project concludes.

From 2022 through the first half of this year, Hyundai Motor planted 100,000 trees across Minas Gerais and São Paulo states in Brazil, restoring roughly 40 hectares of forest — an area equivalent to about 56 soccer fields.

The restoration sites also incorporate a system designed with local residents' livelihoods in mind. To ensure that farmers who had previously worked the land could continue to earn a living, the project introduced an agroforestry system that allows crops to be grown alongside native vegetation. Agroforestry is an eco-friendly farming method in which trees and crops are cultivated together on the same land.

Hyundai Motor Brazil employees and local residents applaud after a film screening at a Korean film festival held in Brazil last year. [Hyundai Motor Group]
Hyundai Motor Brazil employees and local residents applaud after a film screening at a Korean film festival held in Brazil last year. [Hyundai Motor Group]

Mobile dental clinic on wheels logs 80,000 cumulative visits

In healthcare, Hyundai Motor Brazil will expand its mobile dental care project, Sorriso Cidadão. The program deploys a trailer equipped with dental equipment and staffed by a medical team that includes dentists, traveling to schools and communities to provide care on-site.

Services at each visit include oral examinations, tartar removal and minor procedures. Patients who require more complex treatment are referred to a partner dental clinic for follow-up care.

Sorriso Cidadão launched in 2014, initially focusing on children and teenagers. It has since expanded to serve police officers, firefighters, public safety workers and officials from local institutions. Geographic coverage has also grown beyond Piracicaba, where Hyundai Motor's assembly plant is located, to include surrounding satellite cities.

As of May, the project had logged more than 83,000 cumulative visits. Hyundai Motor plans to extend the program further, prioritizing communities near Piracicaba with limited access to healthcare. This year, the company is reviewing plans to expand support to four social welfare organizations, more than 15 schools, and local police and fire stations.

Korean films and IT education broaden community ties

In culture and education, Hyundai Glovis and Hyundai Autoever are each running dedicated programs. Hyundai Glovis will continue its Korean film festival — a cultural exchange initiative connecting South Korea and Brazil that it has organized since 2023 — and plans to add companion programs introducing Korean culture.

Hyundai Glovis is also sponsoring the Piracicaba Symphony Orchestra and will hold classical concerts to give local residents access to both classical and popular music performances. For local children and teenagers, the company plans to run a judo club offering sports and social-emotional education.

Hyundai Autoever will strengthen its IT education program, Instituto Pomar Lectures. The program targets teenagers enrolled in vocational training who are referred by social welfare organizations in Piracicaba.

Employees and managers from Hyundai Autoever's Brazilian operations will deliver the lectures in person, covering topics such as careers in the IT industry, student career planning and job skills, while also showcasing the capabilities of South Korea's technology sector.

"Our goal is to be a company that grows together with Brazilian communities, and we will continue to pursue the social contribution activities that local residents need," a Hyundai Motor Group official said. "We will keep identifying initiatives that benefit Brazilian civil society and help address environmental challenges."


kwater@heraldcorp.com